Electricity prices plunge to 2.75 cents per kilowatt-hour as renewable energy dominates on Germany’s Reunification Day. Wind and solar power peaked at 59.1 percent of German power generation earlier this month. It happened at noon on a very windy and sunny October 3, which is the German holiday commemorating reunification. (Germany also hit peaks of… Keep reading →
On September 13, 2013, Google announced that it had signed a contract to buy the entire output of the 239.2 megawatt Happy Hereford wind farm that is being developed by Chermac Energy near Amarillo, Texas. The project is expected to begin operation in late 2014. Undoubtedly, the developer of the facility, Chermac Energy* is pleased to have… Keep reading →
As the United States moves closer to imposing an economic cost on carbon dioxide emissions in the form of emissions limits on power plants, there will be a shift in the ranking of fuels that are most economic for power generation. And while nuclear’s future is looking more promising, it is not certain that it… Keep reading →
“Yet another reason to hate fracking: It’s connected with an increase in STDs, car crashes, drug-related crimes, and sexual assault in areas where the oil and gas industry sets up shop.” The article then goes on to explain that it’s actually not hydraulic fracturing that’s linked to these things, it’s working conditions at oil and… Keep reading →
Quick Take: The respected Economist magazine is out with a story documenting the “existential threat” to Europe’s electric power utilities titled “How to lose half a trillion euros.” It is valuable reading for anyone in Europe, of course. But important for the rest of the world, especially North America, which seems to be heading down… Keep reading →
The production tax credit may still be critical to the continued development of wind power in the US. But as the price of generating wind power keeps falling, justification for renewing it could lose steam, and if lawmakers do prevent it from lapsing at the end of this year, the question may soon become how… Keep reading →
On the heels of a hope-inspiring report that patents for wind and solar technologies are way up, comes this downer: Global investment in clean energy is plunging. Again. Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which has been tracking these numbers for nearly a decade now, toted up $45.9 billion in clean energy investment in the third quarter of 2013,… Keep reading →
Supporters of coal have called the planned new rules from the EPA on CO2 emissions from coal-fired power generation a war on coal and have pledged to fight the rule-making process. It is true that there will almost certainly not be a new coal-fired electric generating station built in the U.S. for at least the… Keep reading →
A question that frequently surfaces in discussions about energy and environment is why we continue to use fossil fuels, rather than transition to cleaner energy sources, given the threats posed by climate change. According to Statoil chief economist Eirik Wærness, no one has identified a means of sustaining acceptable levels of economic growth without them.… Keep reading →
The dramatic shift in the US natural gas sector over the past five years calls for a rethink of at least some aspects of natural gas policy. But heated debates over its economic and environmental impacts, and uncertain progress on regulatory and legislative changes, show how elusive agreement on a new policy trajectory can be.… Keep reading →
